The most romantic thing my husband has ever done—hmmm. I can guarantee no one reading this article can claim the same thing. This has got to be unique.

In 2010 my husband and I set out in our RV to tour the United States. Long about the same time, I felt the Lord leading me to write inspirational fiction—which surprised me as I am a retired teacher and grandma. “Lord, I’m too old for this.” Wrong.

We sailed down the freeways from our home in Washington state, now rented out, to exciting places stretching from the deserts of Arizona, to the Lone Star state of Texas, to Lincoln‘s historical sites, to sunny Florida. When we weren’t sightseeing, I pounded away on my Toshiba laptop, utilizing my Sprint air card for internet access.

At first, I think my husband thought I’d lost my mind. He was sure I’d “get over” this fling. I even think he may have gotten a bit perturbed with me spending so many hours pouring over the “how to” books and constantly tapping on my computer. But when I got my first book published, he knew God had me writing for the long haul.

He has been more than supportive in every way. He loves giving me technical advice when I need it – like what my mechanic-hero needs to know when repairing a car, or which model my poverty-struck hero would drive. Or the ins and outs of a construction site, or high blood sugar facts for my diabetic hero. Sweet and helpful are words to describe my husband, but that’s not the romantic part yet.

If you’ve ever traveled in an RV, you understand the confined quarters of the little home on wheels. I use to set my computer up on the tiny kitchen table every day, compose my stories, and take the laptop down in the evening. A lot of trouble. Too, I had to store my books and files in plastic baskets that went under the RV. A big pain in the neck. My dear husband saw me struggle with my daily transformations.

Then, when we parked at Campbellsville, Kentucky for a couple of months while Joe worked for Amazon.com, he did the most amazing, thoughtful, and romantic thing. He took out the RV couch with the help of four strong guys. The couch was extremely heavy and couldn’t go out the door, so they had to take it out the driver’s window/door which opened up. My poor husband altered part of his precious, lifelong dream of an RV just for me.

In the place of the couch, he set up a desk with filing cabinets on either side—the perfect writer’s workspace. Though I know he probably wondered how this would affect the resale value or where we’d sit when we had company, he did it because he wanted to please me.

No longer would I have to put up and take down every night. No, it wasn’t flowers or candy, but a selfless act I’ll never forget. That’s true romance.

About the book – Ryan’s Father: Ryan Reid is a first-grade teacher and a Christian with a heart for neglected kids, but a chance encounter during an earthquake with Sandy Arrington, a beautiful young nurse, rocks Ryan’s carefully guarded world and unearths the secret he has held deep in his heart—he’s gay. Though Sandy falls in love with him, Ryan’s forbidden affections lie elsewhere, and he must depend on the Lord to see him through a battle he’d always hoped he’d never face.